Suitable For Life?

Big Picture Science

Life nearby? We’ve not yet found any on our favorite planet, Mars. But even if Mars is sterile, could we ever change that by terraforming it? Or seeding it with life from Earth?

The Red Planet is not the only game in town: A new NASA mission to a Jovian moon may give clues to biology on a world where, unlike Mars, liquid water still exists.

Also, the promise of the James Webb Space Telescope and why the solar system’s largest active volcano offers clues to the habitability of other worlds.

Guests:

• Kate Craft – Planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, where she studies icy moons such as Europa.
• Julie Rathbun – Senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute
• Courtney Dressing – Professor of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley
• Chris McKay – Research scientist, NASA Ames Research Center

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